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Monday, April 9, 2012

Jana Reviews Under the Same Sky by Genevieve Graham

Title and Author:Under the Same Sky by Genevieve GrahamPublishing Info: January 3, 2012 by Berkley Trade (imprint of Penguin)How I Got this Book: Free from the publisher.Why I Read this Book: The paranormal/historical romance combination sounded very interesting!Stars: 4

The year is 1746. A
young woman from South Carolina and a Scottish Highlander share an
intimacy and devotion beyond their understanding. They have had visions
of each other their entire lives. And yet they have never met.

Now, with their lives torn asunder, Maggie Johnson and Andrew
MacDonnell's quest to find each other is guided only by their dreams—and
by the belief in the true love they share.

On the Carolina frontier Maggie Johnson’s family struggles to
survive. Maggie’s gift of “the sight” and her visions show her a
presence she calls Wolf. She watches him grow from a boy her age to a
man even as she goes from child to woman.

Andrew MacDonald has always wondered about the girl he sees in his
dreams. He is able to talk to her through their thoughts and vows that
even if he must cross an ocean he will find her. They are thrust into
different situations: Andrew fights for the doomed Jacobite cause and
Maggie is captured by slavers, then rescued and brought into a kind,
loving Native American tribe. They each believe in destiny and the power
of the love they have shared forever.

I've always loved historical romances, so when this one popped up in my e-mail I was delighted! The back of the book and the cover reminded me of a light, fluffy romance with a paranormal twist (like a Lynn Kurland book.) I was excited about the idea of telepathic communication across the world, between two characters who have never actually met each other. During tough times they appeared to one other to help, either delivering advice or actual strength. As they got older, their ability to communicate grew stronger and they began to fall in love. The romance was incredibly sweet. They were childhood sweethearts, who were there for each other all the time, even though they were on completely different continents. I love this idea.

While I did like it, this book is far from the light, fluffy romance I was expecting. The cover is quite deceptive, as this book is a rather heavy and sometimes dark read. This time period was a pretty awful time, especially for women, and the author does not sugar coat it, which I respected. At the very beginning of the book, Maggie witnesses the death and/or murders of several family members. She and her sisters are abducted by men hoping to sell them, and are beaten and raped to within an inch of their lives. Andrew goes to war in Scotland, and also experiences a lot of death and heartache. This is all described in great detail, and it actually upset me so much that I thought I would not be able to continue. I was so curious to see how things ended, though, that I decided to continue on with it. To all the tender hearts out there, if you can make it to page 115, you are going to be just fine. The book does lighten up, and it even gets suspenseful and exciting!

A tribe of Cherokee Indians rescues Maggie and her sister from their captors, and takes them in as part of their family. I loved this entire protective and loving group of people. I have not had the opportunity to read much about the Native Americans, except for my history books in school. I learned so much about the culture and belief system of these Indians, and was captivated by their story and strong, almost religious, ties to Mother Nature.

I really, really liked Maggie and Andrew. Maggie is so incredibly strong and resilient. I admire her, and wish I had the kind of strength she has. Andrew is the perfect sexy Scottish highlander. He cares so much for Maggie, his family, and his friends. He's also very loyal and honorable. We see him interact with two very young orphaned children, and he is amazingly sweet with them. He really is pretty perfect, and I know I would love it if he came to me in my dreams! His accent is also pretty adorable, but sometimes I had to read his lines out loud in order to understand them. :)

Genevieve's writing style is gorgeous. Her word choice stirred the same emotions in me that her characters felt. She sent me to the woods where Maggie was held captive, to the battle fields of Scotland, to the rolling hills of the Scottish Highlands, and to the deep southern colonies of North America. The dreams Maggie and Andrew had about each other were mystical and magical. Everything seemed so real to me, and I was completely captivated, even though parts of this book really upset and disturbed me.

I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of historical romances with a bit of a paranormal twist. Yes, it's heavy and dark in places. Yes, I had a hard time convincing myself to finish it at one point, but I am so glad I did. You can't fault the author for retelling history. This all really happened, and I was amazed reading what people are willing to do to each other. The story is magical and romantic, and I really loved reading about Maggie and Andrew's journey to find one another. We are left with no loose ends, and you'll be very happy with how things turn out in the end.

Thank you both, ladies! I don't think many readers know that authors have no say on their covers when it comes to a big publishing house like Penguin. They are the experts when it comes to marketing, and since Berkley Sensation specializes in romance, they knew a cover like that would attract the eyes of romance readers. I had pretty major concerns (and an extremely different cover in mind), but in the end the reaction has been more favourable than not - though I guess I won't hear from a lot of readers who will get turned off and ignore the storyline. This experience has definitely changed the way I buy books. I really appreciate the chance to introduce you both to the book!

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Rating System

0 Stars: Did not finish.1 Star: I didn't like this book -- felt more like homework than reading for pleasure.2 Stars: This book needed something different to make me like it.3 Stars: This book was good. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. I would recommend based on certain tastes.4 Stars: This book was delightful. I'm glad I read it.5 Stars: I really enjoyed this book. I will probably read it again.5+ Stars: A new favorite.

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